Stratification: layering of forests particularly evident in temperate deciduous forests and tropical rainforests
Pollarding: cutting off trees at about shoulder height to encourage new growth
Sustainable management: a management approach that conserves the environment for future generations to enjoy as it is today
Tropical rainforests: the natural vegetation found in the tropics, well suited to the high temperatures and heavy rainfall associated with these latitudes
Leaching: the dissolving and removal of nutrients from the soil, typically very effective in tropical rainforests on account of the heavy rainfall
Primary (virgin) rainforest: rainforest that represents the natural vegetation in the region unaffected by the action of people
Deforestation: the cutting down and removal of forest
Clear felling: absolute clearance of all trees from an area
Selective logging: the cutting down of selected trees, leaving most of the trees intact
Slash and burn: a form of subsistence farming practised in tropical rainforests involving selective felling of trees and clearance of land by burning to enable food crops to be planted
Ecotourism: nature tourism usually involving small groups with minimal impact on the environment
Debt relief: many poorer countries are in debt, havig borrowed money from developed countries to support their economic development. The is strong international pressure for developed countries to clear these debts - this is debt relief
Carbon sink: forests are carbon sinks because trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They help to address the problem of global warming
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) - an organisation that collects money and distributes to it needy causes, e.g. Oxfam, ActionAid and WaterAid
Subsistence farming: farming to produce food for the farmer and his/her family only Hunter-gatherers: people who carry out a basic form of subsistence farming involving hunting animals and gathering fruit and nuts
Commercial farming: farming with the intention of making a profit by selling crops and/or livestock
Salinisation: the deposition of soild salts on the ground surface following the evaporation of water
Ecosystem: the living and non-living components of an environment and the interrelationships that exist between them
Biomes: global-scale ecosystems
Adaptations: the ways that plants evolve to cope with certain environmental conditions such as excessive rainfall
Producers: organisms that obtain their energy from a primary source such as the sun
Consumer: organisms that obtain their energy by eating other organisms
Food chain: a line of linkages between producrs and consumers
Food web: a diagram that shows all the linkages between producers and consumers in an ecosystem
Scavengers: organisms that consume dead animals or plants
Decomposers: organisms such as bacteria that break down plant and animal material
Nutrient cycling: the recycling of nutrients between living organisms and the environment
Temperate deciduous forest: forests comprising broad-leaved trees such a oak that drop their leaves in the autumn.
Key terms for this unit:
Stratification: layering of forests particularly evident in temperate deciduous forests and tropical rainforests
Pollarding: cutting off trees at about shoulder height to encourage new growth
Sustainable management: a management approach that conserves the environment for future generations to enjoy as it is today
Tropical rainforests: the natural vegetation found in the tropics, well suited to the high temperatures and heavy rainfall associated with these latitudes
Leaching: the dissolving and removal of nutrients from the soil, typically very effective in tropical rainforests on account of the heavy rainfall
Primary (virgin) rainforest: rainforest that represents the natural vegetation in the region unaffected by the action of people
Deforestation: the cutting down and removal of forest
Clear felling: absolute clearance of all trees from an area
Selective logging: the cutting down of selected trees, leaving most of the trees intact
Slash and burn: a form of subsistence farming practised in tropical rainforests involving selective felling of trees and clearance of land by burning to enable food crops to be planted
Ecotourism: nature tourism usually involving small groups with minimal impact on the environment
Debt relief: many poorer countries are in debt, havig borrowed money from developed countries to support their economic development. The is strong international pressure for developed countries to clear these debts - this is debt relief
Carbon sink: forests are carbon sinks because trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They help to address the problem of global warming
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) - an organisation that collects money and distributes to it needy causes, e.g. Oxfam, ActionAid and WaterAid
Subsistence farming: farming to produce food for the farmer and his/her family only
Hunter-gatherers: people who carry out a basic form of subsistence farming involving hunting animals and gathering fruit and nuts
Commercial farming: farming with the intention of making a profit by selling crops and/or livestock
Salinisation: the deposition of soild salts on the ground surface following the evaporation of water
Ecosystem: the living and non-living components of an environment and the interrelationships that exist between them
Biomes: global-scale ecosystems
Adaptations: the ways that plants evolve to cope with certain environmental conditions such as excessive rainfall
Producers: organisms that obtain their energy from a primary source such as the sun
Consumer: organisms that obtain their energy by eating other organisms
Food chain: a line of linkages between producrs and consumers
Food web: a diagram that shows all the linkages between producers and consumers in an ecosystem
Scavengers: organisms that consume dead animals or plants
Decomposers: organisms such as bacteria that break down plant and animal material
Nutrient cycling: the recycling of nutrients between living organisms and the environment
Temperate deciduous forest: forests comprising broad-leaved trees such a oak that drop their leaves in the autumn.